London Borough Market – Brownies, Smoothies and Jamie Oliver

Saturday morning, 8am: Whenever tingly rays of sun are shining through my window on a lovely saturday morning in London, I always know exactly how and where I will be spending my day. With friends, eating delicious food, strolling around and watching the world go by in one special place – London Borough Market.

While Nottingham Hill, Sunday Bricklane and Broadway Market are also quite popular and fun to go to, Borough Market, definately is my favorite. Bricklane and Nottingham Hill mostly focus on vintage stuff (along with some food) and Broadway offers a mix of all sorts of stuff but Borough Market is unique in focusing solely on fresh food and drinks. You can find a wide food variety there: veggie burgers, cakes, cheese, smoothies, ice cream, fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, french patés, bread, chutneys, wine, hand-pressed oils, gluten-free granola bars, fudge, mulled wine and much much more – most of those products being organic.

My personal highlight: the free food samples, which most of the stands offer. The samples range from chocolate brownies, organic granola to raspery&chilli ice cream, taco dips and Turkish sweets and pretty much everything your taste buds desire, so make sure you come here on an empty stomach.

Apart from the free samples and yummy meals, Londoners and tourists alike come to hang out and relax at the nearby park (well – piece of lawn probably describes this place better) to improvise little picknicks, work on their tans and chat to friends.

My food of choice (and it wasn’t an easy decision with this much good stuff on offer) are the soft chocolate brownies and a freshly squeezed berry smoothie, all had and enjoyed with my friend at the park with the sun shining down on us – life can sure be perfect.

Did you know that markets could win awards? Well, let me tell you – they can. London Borough Market was voted London’s food market of the year 2010 by the London Lifestyle Awards, which comes at no surprise really, with all products here being of rather high quality. And why wouldn’t they be, after all this market has been around for almost 1000 years, with its founding year being 1014. Since the early beginnins of the market, it has moved its location a couple of times and the beautiful construction can now be found close to London Bridge under a railway bridge.

Most of the vendors come from far away and offer excellent quality. Fish, for example, gets freshly delivered from Brighton on market days and is an absolute highlight for gourmet lovers.

Market times are Thursday (11am-5pm), Friday (12am-6pm) and Saturday (9am-4pm). The market is especially packed on Friday during lunch time and Saturday mornings. So be prepared to queue for a while when you decide to go for one of the famous freshly grilled Spanish sausage sandwich, served with fresh salad and pepper.

For the best and freshest pick, head to the Market on Saturday between 9-11am. That’s also the best for some possible celeb spotting, as you may see the odd chef from TV such as naked chef Jamie Oliver.

If you are interested in finding out more about the various stands check out the London Borough Market Homepage, which also lists lots of exceptional recipes.

For locals and tourists alike, Borough Market is always an experience and a great place to waste some time away while getting a bite to eat. Certainly a must-see on any trip to London.